


Ni No Kuni 2 Whumptober2020 One Shots

by Bilbosama



Series: Bilbo Attempts Whumptober2020 [2]
Category: Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (Video Game)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Do not repost on another site, Gun Violence, Hallucinations, Hanahaki Disease, Human Sacrifice, Mind Control, Nightmares, No.9, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Ritual Sacrifice, Sleep Deprivation, Suicidal Thoughts, Whumptober 2020, alt no.10, and all the related issues with it, being nerea is suffering, chapters 2 and 3 contain whump of a minor, do not copy to another site, ni no kuni 2 spoilers ahoy, no.13, no.16, no.22, no.23, no.27, prompt: a terrible horrible no good very bad day, prompt: breathe in breathe out, prompt: do these tacos taste funny to you, prompt: for the greater good, prompt: ok who had natural disasters on their 2020 bingo card?, prompt: what's a whumpee gotta do to get some sleep around here, roland's espionage spy novel adventures, technically nobody has died yet but cliffhanger chapters leave a lot to intepretation, there may be the usual headcanons in here, to be honest these may be posted out of order but I'll do my best orz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26994301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bilbosama/pseuds/Bilbosama
Summary: A collection of Whumptober2020 short stories centered on Ni No Kuni 2. Please heed warnings in author's notes each chapter. Overall Rating May Change.Ch.1 - No.9 - For the Greater GoodCh.2 - No.13 - Breathe in, Breathe Out (Hanahaki AU)Ch.3 - No.16 - A Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day (No Roland AU)Ch.4 - No.22 - Do These Tacos Taste Funny To You? [Chapter 7 AU]Ch.5 - No.23,27, alt prompt 10 - what's a whumpee gotta do to get some sleep around here | ok, who had natural disasters on their 2020 bingo card? | Nightmares
Series: Bilbo Attempts Whumptober2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952077
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. For Great Purpose (Day 9 prompt: For The Greater Good)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so its October and it turns out October is full of theme challenges. I chose to do Whumptober and wow I got so many ideas. I also meant to do a prompt a day but that plan fell by the wayside but I'm catching up...very slowly and out of order. Well, I tried. :O
> 
> This here is a collection of the all single chapter the Ni No Kuni 2 related Whumptober prompts. From the looks of things, I might end up with a multi-chaptered story or two so they will be posted separately. It all depends on how bad the writers block gets.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Ni No Kuni 2. NNK2 belongs to Level 5, Bandai Namco, and others.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 9: For the Greater Good. In which Doloran follows through an alternate plan to summon the Horned One.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers the day 9 prompt: For the Greater Good. This was originally posted on tumblr on October 11, 2020.
> 
> Warnings for: spoilers for chapter 9, ritual sacrifice, gun violence, attempted murder, ambiguous ending situation

One moment, Otto Mausinger, King of Ding Dong Dell, was leading his army against the forces of the Horned One and celebrating their victory over the false Oakenhart. And then in the next moment, he was in an elaborate room.

Open mouthed snake statues lined the walls, fire burning in their jaws. A staircase leading to an altar sat opposite of an odd mural that resembled a pair of elaborately designed doors. He suspected they will only open to one person only. Alas, Mausinger can sense that the ancient wizard who brought up this disaster is elsewhere.

An elaborate magical circle designed for some kind of ritual rested on the floor, waiting to be activated. Just being near it made his chest ache and so Mausinger took a step back from it. He immediately bumped into someone.

"Hey!" complained a nasally voice and Mausinger turned around to find Zip Vector, President of Broadleaf behind him.

"My apologies," said Mausinger.

"No biggie," Vector waved a hand nonchalantly, "I don't blame you considering we're all in the same boat."

"Indeed," unease settled in the Dellian king as he spotted Queen Nerea and Master Pugnacius nearby. They were eyeing the ritual circle with suspicion.

"The energy this spell is expelling is…strange," said Pugnacius, "it has yet to be activated but it is already giving off great power."

"Huh," blinked Vector as he approached the circle in curiosity, "even _I_ can feel it all the way from over here and I can't even do magic."

Mausinger frowned. If someone without magical talent could sense the power the circle holds, then…

"We should leave," he decided, "and quickly."

Vector bent down and reached to touch the edge of the circle. Immediately, the three other rulers converged to pull him back but their actions spurred him into moving faster. The moment the tips of his fingers touched the ground, his entire body seized up. His eyes were wide and his mouth opened as if he was silently screaming. With their staves, Nerea and Pugnacius managed to push him away from the danger.

Zip Vector laid on his back on the ground, gasping for breath.

The three remaining rulers stared at him in horror as a small light emerged from his chest. The way it shimmered like a string fluttering in the wind reminded them all of-

"That's what's left of his Kingsbond, isn't it?" whispered Nerea, "After Doloran severed it?"

"I thought the bond is gone forever," Mausinger reluctantly revealed, "once the connection is broken."

"Forcibly severed," lectured Nerea, disconcerted by the fact that some knowledge on the workings of Kingsbonds have been lost in the past three centuries, "the bond will try to reconnect ruler and Kingmaker. If we go too long without healing the wound in our souls, the damage will spread and we will perish."

"Then why haven't we succumbed?" asked Pugnacius as he dragged Vector further away from the offending ritual spell. Vector was too out of it to protest.

"I suspect it's the pact with King Evan. As long as Evermore stands, his Kingmaker will try to shield us all," Nerea theorized.

Mausinger frowned, "Evan's Kingmaker can't do that forever." The creature is just too…small.

"I know," agreed Pugnacius, "but I had found myself reluctant to seek out Longfang. If Doloran could sever our Kingsbonds, then he might do it again."

"There is no need," boomed Doloran's voice, heralding his arrival. The mural doors opened to allow him through. Following him was Roland Crane, King Evan's Chief Consul. Blackened purple tendrils of dark magic surrounded his body, puppeting his movements as if he didn't know how legs worked correctly. His clouded eyes were unfocused and unseeing. It was unlikely he was aware of what is happening.

This did not bode well for King Evan's involvement.

"Doloran, what is the meaning of this?" Pugnacius demanded, "Why have you brought us here?"

"Alas," replied Doloran as he directed Crane to the stairs leading to the altar, carefully avoiding the ritual circle, "there are additional steps needed if I am to truly bring the Horned One back to this world."

"That thing out there isn't the Horned One?" scoffed Mausinger.

"No, it is more of a cocoon to protect her as she adjusts to a form fitting to this realm of reality."

"She?" parroted Mausinger as he watched Doloran teleport to the stairs' landing in a swirl of dark magic.

"The Horned One wasn't always the Horned One," explained the sorcerer, "Once upon a time she was Alisandra, Kingmaker of Allegoria. Her great power protected us since my nation's founding. Her beauty- " He was interrupted by a loud thud and everyone who was still standing looked up at the altar where Crane had collapsed at the base of it. The darkness surrounding his body had dissipated and the slow rise and fall of his torso was the only reassurance that he was still alive.

Doloran scoffed and quietly muttered something in a language that Mausinger didn't understand but he caught the disappointed tone. Was he really expecting Crane to betray his king's allies even under the influence of dark magic?

But at the same time, it was unlikely that Crane will be unable to intervene in time when Doloran finally decides to reveal why he gathered them here.

"And as I said," Doloran turned back to his captives, "there are a few more things needed to bring Allegoria and my dear Alisandra back to this world."

"And they are?" Mausinger reluctantly prompted.

"The blood of an Allegorian," Doloran raised a vial of what appeared to be the specific substance from his pocket before replacing it with a different one, "soil of the land Allegoria once stood on, the memories or heart of a being from another world - "

"How in the world do you get that?" Pugnacius interrupted.

"Willingly if it all goes to plan," said Doloran, his voice belying his annoyed tone, "preferably without resorting to bloodshed. And lastly-"

"Why the hell would Roland Crane be willing to help you bring back your girlfriend?" Vector snarled as he shakily got back on his feet, "And for that matter, I am sure as hell not doing it."

"Your protest has been noted," magic swirled in the wake of Doloran's mounting frustration, "but it's too late. The ritual begins _now_."

The four rulers immediately turned to the doors only to discover they have returned to the mural. Black whips of magic grabbed the captives and flung them into the circle.

The ritual circle's light flared and crackled and Mausinger found that he could not move. It was like something was holding him down. He turned his head to the left and found Pugnacius in the same position. There was another flash of light as the inner runes activated.

That's when the agony began.

What was originally a dull throbbing sensation in his chest that seemed to intensify a bit in proximity of the ritual spell quickly became the worst pain he had ever felt in his life. It seemed to delve deep, carving a path through tissue and bones as if they were flimsy paper.

Shrieks joined the purposeful chanting in a language long dead. Mausinger could not make the noise stop. There was no way to make it stop. There was no way to form the words to plead to Doloran, to Crane, to Tildrum's tiny Kingmaker, to the gods, to beyond, to make it stop.

A new sensation forms and his pain blurred vision can spot a light emerging from his chest. It's what's left of his Kingsbond. Or perhaps it's his soul as a final punishment for his actions in the past year. He had killed his dearest friend for power and to protect his people. In turn, he will die for a woman and a nation long dead.

Shouts of familiar voices joined the fray but Mausinger could not gather enough wits to identify them. Whoever they are, it's probably too late to save him or the others.

Something shining gold sailed into the center of the ritual spell and a stream of light sailed across it. Both made contact with their targets and the world exploded.

Mausinger only felt relief that it all stopped. He can now hear voices pleading to stay awake. To survive. He was sure that's what the child voice is asking. Did he have a child? No. Someone else did. This is…ah.

"My apologies, young Evan," he croaked. And then he knew no more.

King Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum of Evermore watched as the light receded back into Mausinger and he shakily sighed in relief as the mouse king of Ding Dong Dell continued to breathe. For how much longer, he didn't know. He didn't what to find out what Leander and Bracken would do if Queen Nerea and President Vector didn't survive this ordeal. He was afraid to find out what happened to –

A gun shot cracked through the air, making him wince as it touched his sensitive hearing. Doloran made an odd noise. And so did Roland.

He looked up and watched as Doloran raised the hand he groped his back with to his line of sight to stare at the blood dripping from his fingers. Evan looked up further and froze.

By the altar, Roland still had his gun raised. Red was unmistakably blooming on his thick blue coat where his heart should be.

"Do you really think," he said, unflinchingly, as if he was pouring all his willpower into speaking, "that she would have wanted this? That your people want this? That this is love? You don't deserve to rule nor do you deserve her if you keep going on like this. Dig deep past the lies the Horned One is giving you and just listen to her, you goddamn idiot."

Unnatural flames erupted from the altar as the gun dropped from Roland's fingers and it clattered down the stairs. Roland and Doloran simultaneously collapsed as the world once again roared with noise and color.

The Horned One was successfully summoned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I'm not really sure if anyone has died or not but the odds aren't looking good.
> 
> This one shot was also giving me a hard time because nobody wanted to stay on track. Originally, this was going to include more made up kingsbond lore, Doloran ranting about the other rulers' hypocrisy concerning love for their people (because he's doing this out of love too you jerks), and perhaps That One Plot Twist being revealed. But then Doloran couldn't stand it anymore and forcibly railroaded the plot. Painfully.


	2. Seeds of Sorrow (Day 13 - Breathe In, Breathe Out)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grieving process sucks and unfortunately for Evan, sometimes you get something extra thrown into the mix. 
> 
> Or: The first trip to Goldpaw: Hanahaki AU edition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol Hey guys, y'know what this fandom needs? A Hanahaki AU.
> 
> For those of you not in the know, Hanahaki is a fictional disease where your unresolved feelings towards someone manifests as flowers that start growing in your chest. At first you get a cough. Then eventually your coughs are expelling flower petals. If this is not treated or intervened in time, you begin to expel whole flower buds and then eventually the whole plant. Most people who die from Hanahaki do so because they can't breathe properly and basically drown from excess petals and whatnot in the lungs.
> 
> ...To be honest, **if you don't want to read this chapter because of reminders of certain recent events, that's okay.** I don't blame you. orz
> 
> This chapter covers the day 13 prompt: Breathe In, Breathe Out and technically day 14: Is Something Burning (for one scene). This was originally posted on tumblr on October 15, 2020.
> 
> Warnings for: Background character death, description of trouble breathing and hypothetical internal injury, minor battle injuries, mentions of blood and drowning, grief, emotional whump

Evan truly missed Ding Dong Dell. It was a kingdom his father loved dearly and had passed that love to those around him.

Evan also truly missed his father, King Leonhard, and Aranella, who was all but his mother in name.

He didn't miss the throne. That was a duty he was expected to take on when the time came.

Yet it was all ripped away from him anyway and that surprisingly hurt deeply.

But he then had made a promise. A promise to end war and conflict. A promise to create a world where everyone lived happily ever after. He had yet to figure out how to fulfill that promise but he will do it.

If Nella was still here, she-

Evan felt something tickle in his throat and he reflexively coughed. He had been coughing a lot lately. It was making his new companions worry as they trek towards the Forest of Niall. Roland, who had only made a passing comment about hairballs once, was beginning to hover around him like a maid freshly assigned to baby sit a toddler aged Evan while Nella was – he coughed even further at that thought.

Something landed in his hand. He held his hand up so the light can catch what it was.

To his great dismay, it was a purple flower petal.

"Ack, mun," commented Lofty as he hopped up and down to get a look at what was bothering his king before Evan bent down and lowered his hand to Lofty's eye level, "that en't good."

"I know Lofty," sighed Evan.

"I can only delay its development a bit, mun," said Lofty as his hand glowed softly while patting Evan's chest, "so figure it out who it's for and –"

"She's dead, Lofty."

"And that's even worse, my son! You can't tell a dead person your feelings!"

Evan carefully produced a small flame on his other hand. While concentrating to keep the flame small, he carefully burnt the petal away.

"Well, youer proficiency is gettin' better," commented Lofty, trying to find something positive to comment on in this turn of events.

"We can't tell anyone about this, Lofty," Evan decided as he dismissed the flame.

Lofty looked as though he wanted to argue but then he sighed in resignation.

It would not look good to Roland or to the Sky Pirates if the king they chose to follow was developing Hanahaki Disease.

* * *

Over time, one petal became several. The coughing fits increased. Roland started to stare off into the distance for about ten minutes after they end. Batu was beginning to side-eye him in concern after he mumbled the word 'Will' after a particularly bad one. Tani was getting really good at finding wild soreaway.

Yet their small band never spoke of their King's health. Evan found himself wishing that they would. Perhaps it would make this easier and less painful to be reminded why this is happening.

* * *

Leaning on the Kingsbond made it more bearable but Evan knew it won't work forever. The longer he had this affliction, the worse it's going to get if he doesn't do anything about it. There are healers who specialize in treating Hanahaki Disease. Ding Dong Dell was too risky right now and Evan did not know enough of Goldpaw's language to figure out where he can find a specialist. While everyone knows that Hydropolis' healers are quite skilled in burning the disease out, Evan needed a boat and enough time and luck to survive the trip. But it was still better to go to them than trusting the methods Broadleaf are attempting to peddle.

Presently, the fortune tellers of Goldpaw were beginning to get weird around him. Something about the brightest stars clouding and apparently that was bad.

He didn't stars to tell him what's wrong. But he had things to do. He had to get Niall's forest back. He needed to find out why all the dice in Goldpaw have been tampered with. He had a kingdom to build when they returned from their errand in Goldpaw. He had made a promise. He-

Evan retched out more small purple and large black petals. An iron scent filled his nostrils and he winced.

It's getting worse.

It wasn't fair! Why couldn't he just be sad? He didn't need an illness to make a manifestation of his emotions! He can express them just fine!

He…he wished Father or Nella was here. They would know what to do.

…Right?

* * *

It was hot in the dimension Longfang dragged them into. It was uncomfortable and getting hard to breathe. Well, for the others it was. For Evan, he wondered this is what it be like in the end when the Hanahaki became firmly rooted in his lungs and mere movements would trigger fits that snip fresh cuttings. Some flowers, he heard, weren't kind to their hosts. Some people didn't get to drown in petals. Instead, infection in the deep tears within their chests from thorns and edged leaves scraping on their way out sets in. Those people spend their last days in chilled fever.

At that thought he paused to cough and something large managed to escape his mouth.

To his horror, it was a dark colored rose surrounded by smaller purple petals. He wasn't sure what color the rose was considering it was now beginning to burn but he now had confirmation how unlucky he was.

Tani, who was closest to him, gave him a horrified look and passed him over a few leaves. She watched as he ate one and both children rejoined Batu and Roland in their efforts to calm Longfang.

It was a long battle, partially because the Kingmaker would go airborne, high enough that Evan's water spells became steam in the heat before they could hit it.

A new set of rocks that hid the higmakers rained down. Evan yowled as one landed too close to his tail and singed it.

He pulled a soreaway leaf out of his arms band only to be startled and drop it because Longfang landed on the ground with a heavy thud. The leaf burned up before it landed on the heated dirt.

Evan stared at the spot where it would have.

A deep burning rage filled his body and with a shriek he charged towards the kingmaker and began relentlessly attacking it.

The exertion caused more petals to dribble from his lips and it made him angrier.

It isn't fair!

Nella isn't here! Father isn't here! Chancellor Mausinger betrayed and humiliated Evan on one of the most important days of his life! He is most likely going to die before he gets over his grief either by a stupid disease that grows stupid flowers in his chest or because it's too bloody hot in here!

It isn't fair!

Nella can't help him now! Father can't either! No one in Ding Dong Dell wants to help him! He's…he's on his own in this world!

It isn't fair!

He distantly heard Batu yell a battle cry as he charged with his axe. A bang sounded as Roland fired his gun. The displaced wind as Tani twirled her spear. Lofty and the Higgledies cheering as their hits landed.

No.

He's not on his own.

He may have lost someone important but he made new friends. Friends who have proven to Evan that he can trust them with his life many times. Comrades. Family. Isn't that what they are?

Nella and Father wouldn't want him to die like this. Roland and the others wouldn't want that either. Lofty definitely wouldn't want that.

He made a promise to Nella before she died, didn't he? He was going to make a world where everyone lived happily ever after. He can't do that if he died before he could get started on this quest.

So he can't give up.

He won't give up! Not ever!

With a shout, Evan dealt the final blow. Longfang tiredly roared in defeat.

As the world started to shimmer now that Longfang was no longer keeping them there, Evan's friends gathered around him in concern.

"Are you alright, Evan?" Roland asked, his odd purple suit singed and ripped from battle, "you were sounding the worst off for a while in that fight."

"I'm okay," said Evan, unsure how to explain the emotional tumble he just had.

This somehow did not reassure Roland. Instead he looked more concerned. He then frowned and plucked a petal that got stuck to the boy's sleeve. He seemed confused the longer he stared at it.

"I don't recall any flowers growing in that lava field," he commented.

Tani, Batu, and Lofty quickly patted Evan down, brushing the purple and dark petals away. They stepped back right as Fortune Square came into view where Master Pugnacius waited for them.

Roland wisely kept quiet about his findings until they made their way to their rooms in the inn.

"Where did the flowers come from?" he inquired.

"Oh flip," groaned Lofty, "what rock did you grow up in?"

"Did your world not have Hanahaki Disease?" Evan realized.

"Hana what?"

"It's when yer feelin's get a mind of their own and ye start growin' flowers inside," explained Batu.

"What?" This did not make Roland's confusion any better.

"It's kind of like a self-inflicted curse, really," tried Tani, "you feel so strongly it affects your personal magic and flowers representing your emotion start growing in your lungs."

This time Roland's "What?" had a more horrified tone and his face had an awful expression as he turned to Evan, who suddenly felt guilty about worrying the man like this.

"We caught it early, Roland," reassured Batu, his tone oddly gentle, "we got time to fix it."

"We better," started Roland, "Evan, sorry if it's wrong to ask but what caused it?"

"Nella," was Evan's blunt answer and in turn Roland's face softened.

"I'm sorry Evan," said Roland as he knelt down to Evan, "but that is one of those things that will take some time to heal."

"I know, Roland."

"It will get better."

"I know, Roland." Evan's ears were lying flat on his head as he fidgeted his fingers.

"I…" he began as his face scrunched up in an attempt to hold back tears, "I miss her. I miss Father. I miss Ding Dong Dell."

At this confession, everyone rushed to embrace him as a new wave of sobs began.

He didn't cough once that night.

* * *

The fortune tellers seemed relieved to see Evan the next morning as the group set out to Niall's forest. They reported of clearer and brighter stars, whatever that meant.

Evan still coughed up flowers but as they traveled back to the site where his future kingdom will stand, it was beginning to happen less. The flowers and petals were also getting more and more shriveled as time went on.

And as Evan watched Pirates, Greenlings, and - of all people - former Dellians diligently construct a house, he felt lighter. Like he can breathe deeply again.

He wasn't alone in this. He had people to turn to. People who will be happy to see him.

Perhaps, he can fulfill his promise to Nella after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I had many ideas surrounding this AU. One was a collection of short stories with several characters dealing with this problem. Then it became Roland having breathing issues resembling asthma his whole life because of soul mate transference shenanigans but then I realized this sounded kinda ableist once Doloran's end is resolved and jumped ship. Also, the soul mate thing didn't really affect things in canon so Roland would be fine until chapter 9. Then it became Roland observing instances of Hanahaki and he's just like 'wtf?!' in the beginning. Then it became like 'write all of them and post them separately as chapters.' Finally I settled on this version.
> 
> I got two AU specific headcanons out of this. 1: You don't talk about Hanahaki in Hydropolis (even though they got treating it down to an art form). 2: Doloran definitely has a terminal case but he's also super immortal so it really sucks to be him.
> 
> As for the flower meanings:
> 
> Purple hyacinth = sorrow
> 
> Black/dark red rose = death/grief


	3. Rock Bottom (Day 16 - A Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (No Roland AU) Evan is all on his own now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What we got here is an AU where Roland never shows up during the coup (and perhaps he never does appear at all) so Evan escapes on his own. But that's okay, we got an evil ancient sorcerer who is always ready to gain minions he can manipulate.
> 
> Prompt used: No.16 - A Terrible, Horrible, No good, Very Bad Day.
> 
> What I was going for was a 'the straw that breaks the camel's back' sort of thing and idk, I thought this one shot fits today's theme *shrugs*
> 
> Warnings for: Background character death, suicidal thoughts/despair, emotional whump
> 
> Unfortunately this is all I got for the AU so I wont be continuing it any time soon.

Evan sniffled as he curled up miserably in front of the remains of the campfire. The flames burnt out some time after sunset and he wasn't sure if it was because the wood he collected wasn't big enough or if his fire magic was still too weak to be sustained.

It was just another misfortune to add on to the worst day of his life. The coup, the confirmation of Chancellor Mausinger's betrayal, Nella...

His governess, nay, his mother, had fought off the Black Knight with a fierce rage Evan had never seen in her before. She drove it off a ledge and quietly led Evan to the world outside. She collapsed right at the entrance to the sewers, succumbing to injuries sustained in that battle. She used her last breaths to plead for Evan to escape while he still can and he did.

A fresh wave of sorrow filled Evan again and to his surprise he still had some tears left to shed.

What can he do now that he is all alone in this world? Ding Dong Dell's new king must've set a bounty on Evan's head by now. Every bandit and mercenary lurking outside the kingdom's walls are probably jumping at the chance to get the reward...

He gasps as his ears pick up the sound of leaves and sticks crunching underfoot. They sound close. Too close.

Evan was too exhausted to flee. The most he can do is hide behind a tree, retrieve his knife from the arms band, and wait as his heart thudded in his chest.

"A campfire?" said a man's deep voice.

Evan froze.

"Is someone here?" the man called out.

Evan quickly grabbed his tail in his free hand and held it close to his body. If he stood still long enough, the intruder will give up and leave.

Unfortunately, he was not leaving. In fact, he appeared to be prodding the campfire judging from the sound of burnt wood scraping together. With the intruder distracted, Evan could just run away and...and...he didn't know what he'll do next but it wont be happening here.

Resolve gained, Evan took one cautious step forward...and stepped on a stick. It cracked under his weight loudly.

It alerted the man immediately, "I know you're out there. Come out and get it over with."

Get...get it over with. The idea sounded so tempting and he already had his knife out.

Well, Evan had nothing else to lose. He whirled around the tree and yowled as he charged towards a figure in elegant purple and white robes, their head obscured by an enormous golden snake headdress.

The man immediately turned around, summoned his magic staff, and whacked the back of Evan's knees with it. Evan lost his momentum and fell face down. The man used his staff to turn the stunned boy over onto his back.

The man bent over to look at him. For a moment, his mouth formed an 'o' as if he was surprised by who just encountered.

"Prince Evan," he observed, "You're alive."

Evan couldn't bring himself to correct the man of his actual status. What does that matter anymore? He had been bested by his foolishness. He...he had no more tears to give. He lost that too.

That realization was the last straw for him.

"Does it matter?" asked Evan.

The man stared, as if he hadn't expected that answer.

"It does," he finally replied, "for I am glad I have found you just in time."

"Why?" Evan wondered why this man cared when it was becoming really hard for himself to.

"I had heard what had transpired today," the man explained.

"And?"

"I wish to grant you an alliance."

The boy on the ground did not seem impressed, "Go find somebody else."

"And here I thought you would like a reason to live," scoffed the man, "after losing everything you had once held dear. All those expectations for you, all your allies, all your loved ones, all your comforts, gone. It's not like I had lived through that myself or anything."

"You did?" Evan blinked, curious.

"Oh yes, I was a handful of years older than you when it was ripped from me in an instant. But unlike _you_ ," his tone then became harsh, "I am on a quest to get it all back and damn the world as I go. I am not wallowing in my own misery waiting for death to claim me like a coward."

Anger brought forth the words before Evan could even register them, "I'm not a coward!"

"Oh, You aren't?" taunted the man. "You're not a frightened kitten crawling blind?"

"No!" The force of this pronouncement caused Evan to prop himself up by the elbows.

"Then join me," the man offered, "and together we will get back what we have lost. You will gain the power to avenge yourself. To take back what was stolen from you."

"I..." Can he do that? Can he avenge Nella, his father, the House of Tildrum of Mausinger's treachery?

"You have nothing else to lose, Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum," the man pointed out, "What does it matter if you end up failing anyway?"

He...he's right, Evan realized. There's nothing left now that his destiny has been forcibly ripped away from him. He could just give up and die. Or he could gain a new ally and friend in this man by watching him burn the world in his grief.

"I accept your offer," Evan decided.

The man held out a hand and helped Evan stand up on his feet.

"By the way," Evan realized, "I never got your name."

"My apologies," said the man, "my name is Doloran."


	4. Unforeseen Factors (No.22 - Do These Tacos Taste Funny To You?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Chapter 7 AU] Roland is very sure he’s settling in okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I bring you: a cliffhanger :D
> 
> Prompt used: No.22 - Do These Tacos Taste Funny To You | Poisoned / Drugged
> 
> Warnings: Chapter 7 spoilers, poisoning, unresolved ending

It's been a few days since Roland arrived in Ding Dong Dell and he was beginning to enter a pattern of routine. Eat breakfast, be assigned a few tasks he suspects are attempts at hazing from Chancellor Vermine, be viewed with distrust by the castle guards and maids, look over a few documents that are to be taken to King Mausinger, eat lunch, report to His Majesty with said documents, avoid discussion about Grimalkin with the king as much as possible, assist the Chancellor in daily castle rounds (he suspected the Chancellor was well aware that the castle's chamberlain was in charge of that and only wanted to make Roland aware that he had all eyes on him), review a few more documents, retire to his newly assigned quarters to eat dinner and make notes about the day, and then finally sleep.

He was less busy compared to his work in Evermore and he had a feeling that His Majesty and the Chancellor knew it. He was being tested and he was not sure if he was succeeding.

But he had to be doing something right if he hadn't been thrown to the dungeons or the guards haven't been called to kill him yet.

Roland just needed to hang on while waiting for the right moment to strike. To grab the Mark of Kings and make his escape.

And then…return home with his prize.

He was broken out of his thoughts by a knock on the door to his makeshift office. He opened it to find the Chancellor outside.

"Ah, Mr. Crane," greeted Chancellor Vermine warmly, "His Majesty wishes to invite you to a private dinner tonight."

That was something he hadn't expected so soon.

"I am honored by His Majesty's invite," said Roland, caught up by surprise that then brought him into auto-piloting his way around the niceties of this instance of social politics, "and I will join him for the evening meal."

The Chancellor smiled a smile that seemed artificially friendly, "I will make the preparations."

The door shut and Roland couldn't help but feel nervous.

* * *

The unease in Roland followed him for the rest of the day despite the fact he went about unimpeded. The private dining room used for meal meetings between higher up officials and exchanges of diplomacy among the king's guests was not heavily guarded.

He entered the room and found King Mausinger and Chancellor Vermine already seated in a medium sized round table.

"Ah, Mr. Crane," greeted the king, "you've arrived just in time. Please, have a seat."

"Thank you," Roland sat down in a spot by Mausinger's left that allowed everyone to see their fellow diners fully. It was a cautious move on his part.

The first course was then delivered in the form of vegetable soup. Not wanting to offend his new benefactors, Roland ate with them. Nothing unusual was detected in the soup.

Eventually, the next course arrived and Roland relaxed a bit as he conversed with Mausinger and Vermine.

"How are you liking your return to Ding Dong Dell, Mr. Crane?" asked Mausinger, "Are you settling in well?"

"I do seem to fitting in alright," Roland admitted, "there has been some cold reception here and there."

"My apologies," said the King.

"No, I can see why some do not trust me, I don't blame them," Roland shook his head. "A turn coat from Evermore just shows up and pledges allegiance to his former king's rival just like that?"

"Hmm, yes, I can see how others would view this now," Mausinger ran a few fingers through his beard in thought. "Indeed that is very understandable."

"Have you made time to visit the city?" Vermine interjected.

"I haven't yet," revealed Roland as he sipped his wine, "I was more focused in finding a role within His Majesty's administration I could settle into."

"But once you have found that role?" pried Vermine, now more interested.

"Then yes, I-" Roland paused and frowned.

"Is something the matter?" Mausinger set down his fork on his plate, his tone seemingly concerned.

"I…" Roland carefully shook his head, "no," he covered his mouth with a napkin as he coughed, "excuse me-" he managed before settling into a coughing fit.

The King and his Chancellor watched as the coughing subsided and Roland was left sitting in his chair dazedly mortified. He was beginning to sweat profusely.

"Goodness," commented Vermine unhelpfully.

"I, er," Roland carefully pushed his chair back and attempted to rise up only to suddenly sway in place. "I-"

He collapsed to the floor.

"Mr. Crane?" enquired Vermine in false concern as the man weakly and stubbornly tried to get up.

"What…" the world swayed again and Roland stopped moving until his vision refocused, "what did…you do…?"

"Ah, finally," snickered Vermine, "your resistance to poison was getting to be frustrating."

"Humans…" Roland tried to lecture.

"Yes, yes, different bodies blah blah blah," the short mouse rolled his eyes, "we all know that."

"But that is not important right now," Mausinger rose from his chair and walked over to the prone human, "what's important is that we never trusted you from the start."

"What…gave…away?" Roland had to hang on. He couldn't…It couldn't end like this….!

"First of all, you never did correct me on the Mark of King's actual color. I said it was red. It is very assuredly green."

He bent down and looked into Roland's eyes that struggled to focus on the King, "your second mistake was arrogantly assuming there weren't any Prying Eyes in your quarters. You never thought to check your pens, did you?" He smiled at the ensuing look of horror.

"And thirdly, Evermore sent an extractor for you too soon," revealed Vermine with an unimpressed huff, "we knocked down one of the pirates flying too close to our borders. He claimed he was looking for you."

"He was…not…in on…the plan…" a frustrated Roland growled weakly.

"You conspire to pit two nations against each other and you didn't account for reactions from brasher allies," Mausinger frowned before shaking his head, "Alas you are not one of the worst spies I have come across in the past twenty five years."

Vermine pressed his fingers against Roland's feverish neck, "Ah, he's getting weaker, Sire."

"So he is," noted Mausinger as the spy attempted to lift a hand as if to swat Vermine away but managed an inch before he groaned, "a fitting end for a fool. I do believe you have a few more hours to live, Mr. Crane but I doubt you will be conscious enough to enjoy it."

"I…" tried Roland as his vision failed on him. This was it, wasn't it? Ten months in a world full of dragons, oversized hamsters, sea monsters, and enraged godlike beings and this was how he was going out. "I'm…" _sorry, Evan._

His eyes fluttered shut as he succumbed.

"He's out," announced Vermine as he snapped his fingers.

King Mausinger mechanically turned to Vermine, his eyes clouded purple, "administer the antidote in an hour. Do what you want with him once it takes hold."

"Thank you, sire," grinned Vermine as he gave himself permission. He turned to look at his new captive on the floor.

"Now what to do with you, hmm?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you know, I have no plans on continuing this one. :D


	5. Somnus (Days 23 and 27)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nerea cannot sleep. She must not sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I first went out to do the Whumptober challenge, I had a whole lot of ideas. I was even inspired to finish a few unfinished works. Sadly, I overestimated how much motivation and energy I could reserve for this. But hey, at least I gave it a shot, right?
> 
> Someday there will be one shots for this fandom I started during this month but they'll go into the usual collection.
> 
> Anyway, for this particular chapter, this fills in for no. 23 (what's a whumpee gotta do to get some sleep around here), 27 (ok, who had natural disasters on their 2020 bingo card?), and alternate prompt 10 (nightmares). I personally did not expect it to be so long. :O
> 
> Warnings: Natural disasters (volcanic eruption and implied tsunami), (temporary) character death, sleep exhaustion, nightmares, unreality, hallucinations, implied mind control
> 
> ('Somnus' is google translate Latin for 'sleep')
> 
> Originally posted (and rewritten) on tumblr on October 30/31, 2020.

She could not sleep.

She must not sleep.

Sleeping would mean her control would slip.

Sleeping would lead to disaster and death.

Sleeping means reliving the horror she saw.

Sleeping means losing everything and everyone.

She cannot lose control.

She cannot lose him again.

_"Y-your Maj…esty…" gasped Leander as he struggled to speak and breathe with hot ash in his lungs. He reached for her blindly under the rubble that had landed on him, "you must…escape…"_

_"I will," Nerea said as she grasped his red soaked hand, "as soon as you rest."_

_He smiled ruefully, "Of…course, sire. It's…been…an honor…"_

_His hand went slack in hers._

Nerea opened her eyes with a gasp. Her control slipped again. She must remain diligent.

It's been a month since _It_ happened. The nearby volcano erupted, spewing ash, heat, waves, and destruction over the kingdom. Millions perished on that day and more were lost in the next two days before Nerea unexpectedly found the tome passed down for past generations. A spell book said to be given to the first ruler of Hydropolis by Brineskimmer himself.

The spell she used from the book was similar to Rejuvenate but with a few limitations. Its maximum range depends on the length of its anchor's longest shadow (which was the Great Eye but it's reach went past a few miles away from Hydropolis all around so the nearby islands and Leucippe's Labyrinth couldn't be spared). Time can be reversed to as far as a decade if desired but a year is plenty. The spell can be reapplied as many times as the caster can possibly cast. Its effects are temporary and can be reversed if damaged. If used with a Kingmaker's permission, the spell can be used on a whole nation for as long as the caster is willing to pay the price.

Nerea is willing to pay the price. She must. She can't let them go.

* * *

She blinks and an hour passes by. Someone falls off a roof and dies.

Immediately, the clouds in the sky rush by Hydropolis as if in a hurry. Every other minute its either night or day.

Nerea recognizes what this means.

The spell is rushing forward.

With great dread, she watches the clouds suddenly stop.

The ground shakes. A great crack is heard. Hot ash, lava, and sea water rushes to the city.

Nerea runs to the ritual chamber and recasts the spell.

She is returned to the start of the month.

* * *

It took a few more retries to figure it out.

Disease leads to death. Death leads to time catching up.

Tall places lead to falls which in turn may result in death.

Murderous intentions and citizens gravely injuring others unsurprisingly tips the scales out of her favor.

What was unexpected was that romance leads to marriage or a romp in bed which then leads to new citizens born. This in turn breaks the spell as well.

(But children who were already conceived before the spell is looped back appeared to be the exception)

It takes her a few cycles to fully figure out the solution.

The Four Pillars of Law go into effect and despite Leander's efforts to steer her into considering repealing them, they remain.

* * *

_She passes by a woman sobbing in front of the crumbled remains of her home. She has a son, Nerea recalled. The boy had a talent for magic and given time he would be the best of his generation._

_The boy's mother suddenly grabbed her arm, an action she suddenly recalled as never happening before._

_"Bring him back," she cried in a million voices, "bring them back!"_

"Your Majesty!" the shout freed Nerea from her lapse of control.

Ah. That's right. The nobility (or what's left of it) had called a meeting. How embarrassing.

The viscount stared reproachfully at Leander's reddening face, "Once again I see jumping up the ladder hasn't reduced your need for audacity."

As Leander stammered his apologies, Nerea tamped down the urge to start a new cycle for a petty reason.

* * *

_"How long do you plan on doing this?" said a snake headed man as he walked into view._

_"For as long as I am able," replied Nerea as she patted Leander's unseeing head._

_The snake headed man hummed as if he was processing her answer._

_"But will it be enough?" he asked._

* * *

She had lost count how many times she started a new cycle but this one in particular has lasted eight months so far. Her personal best.

Hydropolis falls a week later because a foreign visitor brought a new plague with them.

In the next spell cycle, she decreed that everyone, citizens and foreigners alike, have to follow the Four Pillars.

* * *

Leaning on the Kingsbond eases her exhaustion but she can't rely on it all the time.

For now it helps.

* * *

_"Get us out," says Leander with a legion of voices. "Get us out."_

* * *

Finally, she had reached a full year. Tomorrow the volcano will erupt and destroy Hydropolis.

She cannot let that happen.

She musn't.

Not until she finds a way out.

* * *

It's been twenty full length cycles.

Sleep can only be done in small bursts.

It's all she can allow.

It's the price she must pay.

* * *

Her Majesty sways a little and she braces against the wall for a moment. Leander carefully watched as Queen Nerea regained her bearings and carefully walked down the hallway to a spot on the wall that revealed a hidden door.

Intrigued, Leander quickly followed after her.

He finds himself in a round room designed for rituals and tributes to Brineskimmer. Nerea kneels before a small statue, sending her praises to the Kingmaker in Mer.

She slowly stands up and backs away to the center of the room, her back facing Leander.

She raises her staff and draws an intricate rune Leander has never seen before in a well-practiced motion. The rune flashes and the face of a clock lights up on the floor.

Nerea chants in Mer and the clock's hands start spinning backwards. It spins as she chants and it spins as she chants and it spins as she chants and-

Leander wakes up in his bed. The diary in his desk, he discovers, has lost a year's worth of entries.

This has happened before, hasn't it?

* * *

The citizens of Hydropolis react with shock, confusion, and anger as the Four Pillars are announced. Leander experiences a sense of déjà vu as a near riot buzzes until the Great Eye makes a noise as if producing a high pitched tone. The crowd calms and Leander watches with alarm as it disperses.

What…what has Her Majesty done to Hydropolis?

* * *

He senses a presence and he looks around to find nothing.

His unease remains unsettled.

It grows when he hears a voice in his head say, _"Make it stop."_

Stop what, it never provides.

Yet Leander's curiosity grows.

* * *

"I have discovered the source of the Queen's madness," declares Leander one day. He feels oddly detached, as if he was sleepwalking.

"And with the authority as I have as Archon," he continues, "I annul the Four Pil-"

Nerea restarts to a new cycle.

* * *

_"This is rather disappointing," says the snake headed man as the north tower collapses, "I expected something better-"_

_"Leave then," Nerea demands, "for I am doing this my way."_

_The man stares for a moment._

_"As you wish," he decides._

_The man never walks into her dreams again._

* * *

She hears of nations falling and forming every few year-long cycles. Such is the way of this world.

The only other nation that remains consistent is Ding Dong Dell. It's rather impressive.

Eventually, however, it too will fall.

Someday, only Hydropolis will remain.

* * *

Leander follows the oblivious Nerea to a round room designed for rituals and tributes to Brineskimmer. Nerea kneels before a small statue, sending her praises to the Kingmaker in Mer.

She slowly stands up and backs away to the center of the room, her back facing Leander.

She raises her staff and draws an intricate rune Leander has never seen before in a well-practiced motion. The rune flashes and the face of a clock lights up on the floor.

Nerea chants in Mer and the clock's hands start spinning backwards. It spins as she chants and it spins as she chants and it spins as she chants and-

Leander wakes up in his bed. The diary in his desk, he discovers, has lost a year's worth of entries.

This has happened before, hasn't it?

* * *

The citizens of Hydropolis react with shock, confusion, and anger as the Four Pillars are announced. Leander experiences a sense of déjà vu as a near riot buzzes until the Great Eye makes a noise as if producing a high pitched tone. The crowd calms and Leander watches with alarm as it disperses.

What…what has Her Majesty done to Hydropolis?

* * *

Leander purchases a new journal and stores it in his arms band for safe keeping.

The feeling of déjà vu stops until lunch.

It doesn't full stop until the year is over and he follows Nerea to the ritual chamber.

While she's not looking, Leander makes a mark in his blank journal and returns it to his arms band.

He wakes up in his room. He goes to his diary in his desk. It has lost a year's worth of entries.

He checks the journal in his arms band and finds it marked.

* * *

From the secret journal of Leander Aristides:

_I asked a visitor what year it was under the pretense that Hydropolis has a different calendar system._

_One hundred and seventy-two years have gone by without anyone noticing._

* * *

**You should rest** , says Brineskimmer as he hovers near the ceiling. **Let me watch for a day.**

"I cannot," mutters Nerea to the apparition, "I cannot."

* * *

The cycles blur and the days and dreams mix. Only reassurances from Brineskimmer keep her from resetting too early.

(The Kingsbond seems to be giving her less energy lately)

* * *

Folsense has fallen. Survivors speak of a man wearing a golden snake mask attacking the much hated Duke which had led to the Kingmaker going wild and destroying everything in sight until nothing was left standing.

Hydropolis can only host the survivors for a few days to let them rest before they move on to their journeys to better lives elsewhere. They can't stay permanently.

The idea of Brineskimmer attacking indiscriminately quiets the whispers of rebellion for a while. They don't rise again until the end of the year.

The first wave of protests was being planned when Nerea starts a new year long cycle.

(Leander makes his fiftieth mark.)

* * *

At one point there's word of a new nation called Goldpaw. Its people, whenever one visits, focus on fate, the stars, and luck.

They find the stars over Hydropolis both fascinating and terrifying, Leander would report. Yet once in a while they still come back. It's not enough to ban them from giving Hydropolitans ominous fortunes.

(Master Pugnacius sees the stars and then sees Nerea. He doesn't give her a fortune or pity.)

And then one day the masked man appears in Goldpaw and tries to hand them Folsense's fate. A group of exiled Dellians intervene and Goldpaw is spared. The Dellians decide to form their own nation instead of taking back Ding Dong Dell with Goldpaw's grateful assistance.

Someday they'll come to Hydropolis too and leave oblivious to forming friendships falling before they could even florish.

* * *

"It has been three hundred years," the man in the snake mask says one day in the throne room. The guards and priestesses eyeing him with suspicion reassure her that, unfortunately, this is real.

The same man who appeared in her dreams when she knew they were dreams a long time ago.

The same man who annihilated Folsense and tried the same with Goldpaw.

_He's here._

"Has it?" Nerea keeps her face blank as she tilted her head as if in confusion.

"Yes," confirms the man, "and nothing has changed." His mask hides his expression but she can feel his judgement.

The man later leaves the city but she hears his voice in her head.

"You have done nothing."

* * *

For several nights he reappears and experience has taught her how to not react. There is no way he's actually there, after all.

The first night he says as his staff seems to shimmer, "You refuse to move forward. You refuse to see what's ahead."

The next night he says, "Your people aren't living. They are stagnant. Some will never get the chance to grow."

The third night he says, "You love _him_ , don't you? You love all of them. Let them go. Let _him_ go."

On the fourth night he says, "What gives you the right to call yourself Queen if you don't truly serve?"

And then at last he says, "Isn't it time you finally rest?"

At last Nerea says tiredly, "Help me."

The man ominously smiles triumphantly but she couldn't bring herself to care.

* * *

Over the course of the month leading to this cycle being a quarter of the way over, she plans. Before the cycle is over, she will hand over power to Leander once he passes trials she has given him. She will teach Leander the spell to keep Hydropolis safe. She will transfer Brineskimmer's bond to him.

And then at last she can rest.

(She senses a vague feeling of disapproval from _him_. She dismisses it. He was never here in the beginning. What does he know of watching your nation, your people crumble before your very eyes?)

* * *

Opportunity arrives in the form of the exiled Dellian boy king who chose to start over. It's been reported that his new country and Goldpaw have formed a pact. His presence could only mean he wishes to do the same with Hydropolis, not knowing it will only be valid until the cycle is complete.

The engagement stunt the foreigners pull has the right effect. The citizens buzz with conflicting feelings. Leander seems annoyed by the intrusion in the daily routine yet he at first attempts to keep them away from her until she demands with a slightly raised voice to bring them to her.

They sail away to collect the Aether and the man in the snake mask suddenly returns.

"It is time," he declares.

"Of course," says Nerea and she taps the floor with her own staff. In front of the entrance to the King's Cradle, the great whirlpool that disrupts the trip door pathways dissipates.

They leave unannounced. The palace guards will raise the alarm in a few hours.

* * *

The direct path to the Cradle itself opens once her presence is detected. Some part of Nerea is disappointed by this fact.

Then again, there is no delaying the inevitable.

However, the closer they get to the Cradle, the clearer Nerea's mind becomes. His influence is weakening. She doesn't think her companion is aware of this and it shall be his undoing. She has to do it quick before her own exhaustion tries to claim her again.

* * *

"Now," intones the man once they at last reach the cradle, "open your heart. Relinquish your Bond to me."

Nerea feels the urge to obey but easily overcomes it, "Never." A spell forms around her staff and she slings it at the man with ease. He blocks it with a barrier.

"How disappointing," he says.

"I refuse to relinquish my power to you," Nerea declares as she unleashes several spells. Her opponent deflects most of them but one hits him in the shoulder.

"I am trying to help you," he says as a brief aura of darkness oozes around his shoulder, healing it.

"Your so called assistance means death of my people!"

"Or it could free them from their prison!" he argues back as he sends an ice spell snaking towards her. "For that's what you have done!"

Nerea jumps out of the way and forms a trident out of magic. It collides with a barrier and when it breaks away, the man is gone.

He hits her side with his snake headed staff and she stumbles.

"When I had first caught on that Hydropolis had entered a time loop, I was fascinated," says the snake headed man who then ducks away from a fireball. "I thought I had found the solution. That I could prevent my own grief and heartbreak. But you did nothing else once you got it to work. You never sought to seek out safer lands. You never tried to go any further than a year. You did nothing that would allow Hydropolis to live! You deny yourself comforts just so you can continue the same tedium for three centuries!"

He unleashes whips of dark magic and one manages to grab Nerea. Despite her struggles, she could not break out of it. She could only watch as the man approached her with his staff gleaming with purple.

Calm starts to fill her. Her struggles cease and her bonds release her.

"Now, I shall set your people free. They will live and they will die. Hydropolis' fate will no longer be worse than death."

He plunges his magic encrusted hand into her chest.

The Kingsbond snaps.

Brineskimmer rages.

* * *

Somehow, she did not die. Leander did not die. Hydropolis did not die. The foreigners who came with Leander to rescue her did not die. Somehow Brineskimmer's wrath has been routed. Somehow the spell still holds despite there being no Kingsbond to power it. King Evan's Kingmaker theorizes that since she had repeatedly renewed the spell for so long, it caused a delaying effect. It will not last forever but it will give her more time to do what's right.

Nerea breaks the truth to her citizens and they surprisingly forgive her for it. She had been protecting them from danger for so long in silence. She had been both selflessly and selfishly giving everything she had for Hydropolis' future.

Her people are free to leave Hydropolis while there's still time to do so. They are free to explore the world for the first time in three centuries. Hopefully, they'll find a place to call home.

By the year's end, the spell will naturally fade and the volcano will erupt. What remains of Hydropolis when its people are gone will be claimed by ash, lava, and waves.

Nerea will have to make a decision on whether or not she establishes a new nation to lead before the destined day arrives.

And then she can finally rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you saw this on tumblr, then you probably noticed that the ending changed. I reread it when not sleep deprived and decided to rewrite it.
> 
> Doloran had a much bigger rant but it kind of spread itself out to pop up throughout the story. He's basically disappointed to find a possible solution to save Allegoria but the execution is...admittedly not good. So he can't exactly judge how effective it is.
> 
> Folsense is a town from Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.


End file.
